The European Union is working on the fourth package of sanctions against Belarus, which can be agreed upon in the coming weeks, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday
BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2021) The European Union is working on the fourth package of sanctions against Belarus, which can be agreed upon in the coming weeks, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday.
"The regime [in Belarus] continues its repression and intimidation against their own citizens. Now they are targeting the Polish community. We are working on the next sanctions package, which I hope will be adopted in the coming weeks," Borrell said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Belarus has been in a prolonged political crisis after the August 9 presidential election, won by Alexander Lukashenko. The opposition has not recognized the results, claiming that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was the real winner. The dispute resulted in mass protests across the country.
Several Western countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union, have slapped sanctions on Belarusian officials deemed responsible for alleged electoral fraud and protest suppression, as well as some of the country's entities.
In response, Minsk in late April banned imports of goods from Liqui Moly, Skoda Auto, Beiersdorf, and a few other Western companies. The Belarusian government also announced a new package of retaliatory measures put in place to be applied in response to any new Western sanctions, some of which target European business in Belarus.
